SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - About 110 Liberal Party supporters filed into the Yellowknife Curling Club Monday night, paying $30 to meet and greet with Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff.

Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff gave a lively speech at the Yellowknife Curling Club on Monday during his first trip to Yellowknife, which he made in support of the new Liberal candidate for the Western Arctic, Joe Handley. - Tim Edwards/NNSL photo

With the dust still settling after Prime Minister Stephen Harper's visit to Yellowknife last Thursday, Yellowknifer asked Ignatieff what his plans were to re-energize his party in the NWT where rival Conservatives have showered much attention since taking power from them in 2006.

"What we are saying that is different from Mr. Harper is we need resource revenue-sharing agreements that make sure that the resource developments genuinely benefit the people of the North, draw population to the North, and sustain the aboriginal communities in the North," said Ignatieff.

A resource revenue-sharing agreement was at the top of former premier and now Western Arctic Liberal candidate Joe Handley's wish list when he was in office, but he was unable to secure one under either Liberal or Conservative governments in Ottawa.

Ignatieff did not want to comment on Harper's decision to place the new Northern Economic Development Agency in Iqaluit, but said though such an agency is needed, the Conservative plan is unrealistic.

"The Northern Development Agency, as I recall, is $50 million over five years," said Ignatieff.

"We believe in a dedicated agency for Northern development but we think these aren't serious numbers."

When asked if he'd support the construction of all-weather highways, particular those to the diamonds and one running the entire length of the Mackenzie Valley, Ignatieff said he'd been talking about that very issue with Handley earlier that afternoon.

"The hard facts are it's a big number," said Ignatieff.

"Any serious highway construction up here is a big number. We're running a $50 billion dollar deficit. So, then you have to break it down into bite-sized chunks - chunks we can afford," said Ignatieff.

"I think getting a strategy like that, is where we get strategic and say, OK, 'where do we want to go in 10 years and how to we get there year by year by year?'"